1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling the usage of digital rights, of the “Play N times” type, of a digital audio and/or video content and a device for implementing this method. In particular, it relates to control of the rendering, authorized for a fixed number of times, of audio content (for example music) and/or video content (for example films) on television receivers, computers, audio reproduction equipment, disc readers, portable personal systems, mobile telephones or electronic diaries.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to control the usage of their products distributed by digital networks, such as the Internet, and to avoid pirating, producers of multimedia content (by way of non-limiting examples: films, documentaries, music, music videos, video games, audiovisual material, services or other content, etc.) implement digital rights management, henceforth referred to as DRM, methods associated with the content relinquished to their customers.
The rights associated with a content may, for example, allow usage of the content over a certain cumulative period of time (rights of the “Play N units of time” type) and/or a certain number of times (rights of the “Play N times” type). The monitoring of the rights relinquished to the customer must therefore be carried out progressively as the content is consumed by the customers.
The inventors have observed the possible behaviours of the consumer when consuming digital content in order to meet their technical expectations.
The invention, in fact, results from the observation that it is not currently possible to count N usages within a device for consuming content, referred to as consuming device or management device, in the framework of digital rights of the “Play N times” type, while at the same time taking into account:                the real normal expectations and behaviours of the customers when consuming content (in particular, “zapping”, rewind, forward play and pause) and        the requirement to ring-fence the N usages, in such a manner that the content may be consumed N times and only N times.        
For example, when a content for which the customer has N permitted usages is consumed, the customer might wish, for a period of several seconds, to consume another product, an operation referred to as “zapping”, to return to a slightly earlier point in the passage of the content, notably because something was missed, an operation referred to as rewind, or else perform a fast-forward operation.
In similar cases of zapping, of rewind, of forward play or of pause, the current accounting methods for the number of usages made by the customer count one additional usage to that in progress.
This is costly for the consumer and cannot be justified in every case.